New HTTP2 Service Raises Issues

HTTP2 hopes that
their unique approach to domain names will capture the attention of techies
everywhere.

The concept is simple: You can provide your site’s visitors with an
easy-to-remember domain name by using their new service. Users of their
service can choose the domain of their choice, including many top level
domain names that are already in use.

If the service sounds too good to be true, that’s because there are several
problems with it. The service requires users to type “http2” instead of the
usual “http” at the beginning of a URL. When the user enters a domain name
beginning with “http2,” it connects to HTTP2’s own server, which resolves
the domain to your own valid “http” address.

Most users have gotten used to the prefix “http,” and since the major
browsers do not even require that it is included when the URL is typed, it
is a non-issue…unless they are trying to access a site which uses
“http2.” Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser does not even recognize such
a prefix.

If the service ever took off, HTTP2’s own server could easily get bogged
down with requests. To top it off, copyright lawyers across the globe could
have a field day with lawsuits resulting from the use of “domain
deception.” HTTP2 has already indicated that if a company with the “real”
domain name asks them, they will stop routing the spurious “http2” domain.